Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya has tabled revised amendments to the Anti-Corruption Act in Parliament, targeting improvements in corruption prevention, investigation and prosecution alongside enhanced governance standards.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya presented amended provisions to the Anti-Corruption Act in Parliament on Wednesday, seeking legislative approval for a series of revisions designed to overhaul the country's anti-corruption mechanisms. According to the Prime Minister's Media Division, the proposed changes aim to bolster prevention efforts, strengthen investigation and prosecution capabilities, and promote greater transparency and accountability within the public sector.
The amendments address multiple technical and legal challenges that have emerged during the implementation of the current legislation. These include resolving inconsistencies between the Sinhala and English versions of the law, which have created interpretation difficulties. The revisions also tackle practical obstacles encountered in conducting corruption investigations and prosecutions, as well as administrative challenges faced by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).
Additional provisions focus on streamlining the asset declaration process through a centralised electronic system, which aims to reduce administrative burden and improve compliance. The government contends that these modifications will provide CIABOC with a more robust legal framework to execute its mandate effectively and enable more efficient administration of anti-corruption measures across government institutions.
